Superintendent discusses school security, principals

Jasper County School District Superintendent Vashti Washington recently talked about school security, reading and the status of the district’s principals.

The Newtown, Conn., shootings were on her mind, but Washington thinks her schools are safe and she’s not in favor of having armed teachers.

“In my professional opinion, I would not be in favor of it,” Washington said. “Not all teachers are comfortable handling guns. You may be setting them up for more violence. How do you go about selecting which teachers are carrying guns?”

School security was discussed at Monday’s school board meeting. Last week Washington said she’s discussed having the schools fenced-in, specifically in the back so all visitors must enter through the front.

Washington hopes to install a keypad security system, especially in remote areas on campus, such as side doors and behind the gym.

She’s surprised in the rise of violence.

“I would have never thought in the 21st century we would hear more about violence, I thought it would be less,” Washington said.

She also discussed education, noting improved reading is imperative. She noted volunteers at Ridgeland Elementary School have increased to 26 and Hardeeville Elementary has about 25 to 30 volunteers. United Way continues with strong volunteer support. Washington said students have a two-hour reading block, which includes writing, reading and ELA. Her goal is for the county’s students to want to attend college and that they’ll “have a quality education to read proficiently.”

Washington reiterated that the district’s posting of 2013-14 vacancies for all the principals’ positions was a proactive move. She anticipates the principals will return next year, but the job postings are done to gather a pool of applicants in case any principals leave.

“One of Jasper County’s greatest negatives has been that we’ve waited in the past for the last minute and then you are scraping to look for the most talent,” Washington said.

That talent will be found throughout the country.

“We cannot continue to run Jasper County on hiring folks because they are popular or related to certain folks, we need to find the best applicant that has the right ingredients to get the job done for our children,” Washington said.

She said she’s pleased with the principals.

“I’m really proud of the environment,” Washington said. “The principals are the instructional leaders and the managers, but it takes that team and the entire team coming together to say this is what we want for our school and how we are going to improve it. For the most part, I feel all the principals have provided the leadership needed to move the school forward.”